1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bras, in particular to a structure of bra which can provide maximum support together with minimum discomfort for the wearer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The main purpose of a bra is to support the breasts of the wearer by transferring the forces involved in the support to other parts of the body, principally the shoulders and the rib cage. In a conventional bra it is tension in the front part of each bra strap which carries most of the weight of each breast.
Conventional bras are often uncomfortable, particularly for those women whose breasts are large.
Support relies on the bra gripping the rib cage. For larger breasts the band tension can reach over 20N. This is uncomfortable in itself and results in most wearers settling for a looser tension. This however leads to the back band of the bra slipping, and failing to fulfil its function. The shoulders exert more force than they need and the subsequent unnecessary pressure causes discomfort. Conventional bra structures also generate a forward force on the shoulders which can lead to a side effect of poor posture for the wearer:
In order, to stabilize the position of the bra structure some means must be provided to ensure that the bra strap tension is equalized front and back. The weight of the breast is only at the front and this has to be balanced by equal forces produced in the remainder of the bra structure. EP1274326 discloses a bra structure which better equalises the strap tension front and back so as to minimise distortion of the bra structure and the consequent discomfort for the user. The structure disclosed in EP1274326 describes how a bra can be constructed without high tension in the back band and underhand and can also reduce shoulder strap tension by balancing shoulder strap lift against lift at the side of the cup by a novel rigid wing.
The present invention aims to improve on the structure disclosed in EP1274326.